Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Novel Idea, Day 16

It's a new day, and life is pretty good.  Always good to remember that.  A day where you can post some fresh writing?  That's even better.  Let's get to it!!

Theme:  Hospital Stay

Initial thoughts:  Something like this is always tough, because hospitals run the gamut, as do our stays in them.  First to tackle is point of view here:  Me, someone else?  OK, serious or routine?  Something good or something bad?  There are a million possibilities with this one, and the overall mood is what's important.  Of course, there's always a different idea, too:  What kind of hospital??  Ahhh now I am getting somewhere......

     The door opened to the small room, and Anthony Cooper walked in.  It was a small room, fairly devoid of furnishings but for a small table and two chairs, one of which was occupied by none other than Gerald Hopkins.
     “Good day, Mr. Cooper.”
     “Doctor.”
     “And how are we feeling today?  Feel like being honest?”
     “About what should I be honest about that I haven’t already?”
     “Well, you’ve been here for several years now.  Tell me – do you think you are rehabilitated enough that we should consider letting you out?”
     “Hmmm.  This is a difficult question.  What do you think?”
     “Come now, Mr. Cooper.  We’re not here to discuss me and what I think.  We’re here to discuss you and what you think.”
     “In that case,” began Anthony.  “I am supremely confident in my ability to function in society.”
     “And what would you do in society?”
     “You have inspired me,” said Anthony.  “I think I would very much like to go into medicine.”
     Gerald laughed.  “And what makes you think you’re qualified to go into medicine?”
     “After having dealt with it for so many years, and all my studying of events here at the hospital, I think I would make an excellent candidate.”
     “Well, I do think that your time here will cause some great difficulty in getting you admitted to a program of medicine,” said Gerald.  “But, that is not up to me to decide.  I think it would be a good practice of some reality therapy for you.  Have you thought about which school you might apply?”
     “Why not go for the gold in Harvard Medical?”
     “Yes, I see.” 
     “You don’t approve?”
     “Perhaps you should think about some place that is a little less rigorous.”
     “But, you just said that reality therapy would be good for me.  Would this not then be a more truthful course?”
     “A valid point.  I do have to tell you, though, that if they question me, I will have to be honest.”
     “Your honesty is all I ask.”
     “Very well.  But given the difficulty of the coursework, how can we be sure you wouldn’t wind up back here?”
     “I can’t.  In fact, they could let me out of here one day, and I would be back the next, I am sure.  It would not be because I did anything wrong, I assure you.”
     “You assure me?”
     “Yes I do.”
     “This does…not exactly inspire confidence in me.” 
     “I thought you might see it that way.  You see, I feel that if I am spending all that time studying, I simply won’t have time to do anything else.  If they send me back, it will be because I belong here.”
     “I see.”
     “So either way, I have nothing to lose.”
     “I understand.  Well, I have all I need from you today.  The nurse will see you out.”
     “Thank you.  These sessions are most informative.”
     “They are indeed, Mr. Cooper.”
     Anthony walked out of the little room, and the door was once again closed behind him. 
     “And how is the patient today?”
     Anthony let out a deep sigh.  “No change.  He still thinks he’s the doctor in charge, and that I could use a few doses of reality therapy.  I’m tempted to give him some, but I fear he couldn’t take it.”

Fun, silly, a little different....on the whole, I enjoyed writing this one!!  I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Thanks for reading,

Me

No comments: